varmit concern

First id like to note i live in suberbia(sp) near some farms yes but none the less in a subdivision and a big one at that. 2 nights ago me and a friend saw a large canine animal run through my yard at about 11:30 no more then 30 maybe 35 yards away. So tonight me and my friend sat outside waitng for it and it passed by us again after killing a rabbit. with nothing else to do i took my friend home and upon return there were 2 deer in my lawn close to the driveway that bolted as i pulled up and this coy-dog followed. I got a clear look at it and it looks to be about 50 maybe 60 lbs and it ran right by my driveway so i dont think its scared of humans.

Thusfar the animal in question has come close to my house, and we've seen it three times in a 3 day period. Considering my neighborhood has a number of small children, and our dog is quite small I'm alittle worried it could do some harm. Any suggestions as to how to deal with this threat?

I'd vote for waxing it, although you may need to be careful about your method if you have neighbors.

Subsonic .22lr out of a rifle is quiet; try sitting on the roof for a downward angle so the ground will serve as a backstop. You can put raw meat or something on the ground near the house to lure it closer; makes it easier to get a brain shot. A powerful flashlight or a spotlight works wonders as a jacklight. Altho your neighbors may be more alarmed by a guy with a rifle and spotlight on a roof than by a single shot from a hi-caliber rifle or shottie.

First id like to note i live in suberbia(sp) near some farms yes but none the less in a subdivision and a big one at that. 2 nights ago me and a friend saw a large canine animal run through my yard at about 11:30 no more then 30 maybe 35 yards away.

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Canine animal as in "feral dog" or as in coyote like"? If the former, dispatch when you have too/opportunity presents itself. If the latter, perhaps aversion tactics (noise, pain) would suffice. Observe to see if packmates are about, coyotes are not stupid, unlike feral dogs. Either way, I'd contact Animal Control first, before doing anything else. At the very least, this helps establish a paper trail that you've tried "legitimate" remedies before being forced to defend yourself.

In Minnesota, discharging a firearm in city limits will land you in jail, even if you live on a farm within city limits. Now there is the grey area of you cannot "hunt" within 500 ft of an occupied home. But could you shoot a varmint? Maybe.

A .22 subsonic on a 60 lb dog? You could always use a bow.

You mentioned the dog harming children and you are in suburbia Think the judge will buy that or focus on you shooting a firearm with children around?

I would contact Animal Control first, then I would contact your local WRA and speek to an officer and explain the sit-chew-ation to them and let them advise you as to what you can and can not do. I remember one time a neighbor had a problem with some coydogs and the WRA want to trap them for study. I never knew why tho. Maby to see how many cross breeds were in that area. I dont know for sure.

"...no such thing as a varmit..." It's the shooting mitt you wear when hunting varmints. Snicker.
"...in a subdivision..." That says it all. While it's likely Fido out for a tewt, calling Animal Control is your best action. CYA is your friend.

Not too long ago near Atlanta, they tried to press charges against a man for shooting a feral cat with a bow. The cat was found with an arrow in it IIRC

I don't remember how it turned out.

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The first person to kill any animal with a compound bow was my Sergeant Major at Fort Benning (this was about '74). There was a woman who had a bunch of yap-yaps that never shut up. He called the cops. He had a scanner and heard his complaint passed to a patrol car -- and heard the cop say, "Well, I'm not gonna wake those people up at 3 in the morning to tell them their dogs are barking!"

Wrong thing to say!

As the Smaj later told me, "It was a thirty yard running shot, Sir. I held a bit high and led him about six feet."

He then knocked on the door, and when the lady came to open it in her bathrobe, he handed her the arrow -- dog still attached.

They finally charged him with cruelty to animals. The head of the Department of Game and Fish testified for the defense, "No, it's not cruel to shoot animals with bows and arrows. We do it to deer all the time. If you rule that it is, we'll have to eliminate all deer hunting in the state."

I like the crossbow suggestion. Much easier to control than a straight or compound bow, unless you are already a decent bow hunter. Combine a crossbow with a red dot sight and you should have no trouble taking the critter out.

The first person to kill any animal with a compound bow was my Sergeant Major at Fort Benning (this was about '74).

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Certainly you jest!

Almost forgot my suggestion for the cannine. Just my opinion: A large or even small dog on a leash, leash held by you. A good dog would be one that barks alot and loudly when the supposed coyote comes by. Of course the coyote may try to attack but I tend to doubt that if you have the dog on a leash. Also if you carry some pepper spray or a loud air horn - as a just in case measure, you will likely be ok. Scare it off a few nights in a row, it may diappear on its own; if not animal control is the way to go.
All the best,
Glenn B

A while back a friend of mine had a problem with a neighborhood mutt terrorizing the local children and such and he decided to deal with the situation "quietly". He used his bow, he's the only archer in the neighborhood, the arrow stays with the dog who goes home and dies on his front porch.

A while back a friend of mine had a problem with a neighborhood mutt terrorizing the local children and such and he decided to deal with the situation "quietly". He used his bow, he's the only archer in the neighborhood, the arrow stays with the dog who goes home and dies on his front porch.

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A friend of mine used to tell this story. He lived in an apartment, and one of the residents of another apartment had a cat he'd put out every night. The cat would wait by the front door until someone came into the building, and then roam the halls, yowling, until someone (never the owner) either put it back out, or took it into their apartment.

One night, about 2 AM, he said, he could hear the cat yowling. He stood it as long as he could, then got up. But just as he opened his door, another door opened, a pair of hands emerged and picked up the kitty.

My friend went back to bed. Just as his head hit the pillow, he said, he heard a garbage disposal go on.

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